We provide therapy and counseling services for adults, children, couples and families in Grand Rapids, MI, and all of Kent County in West Michigan. Our TF-CBT certified therapist helps children work through trauma and anxiety, while our adult therapists utilize the only system of its kind for treating anxiety, trauma, depression, and phobias. Our multi-sensory virtual reality (VR) system is used to create environments and social interactions that help people work through their challenges in a safe environment, with the guidance of a licensed therapist.

Depression: Symptoms and Treatment at VR Therapy

Depression can sometimes be related to other disorders, such as bipolar or personality disorders, or it may take the form of major depression that has been with a person for decades--or it may even have come about after a delivering a child. Regardless of the cause, however, the effects can be equally devastating on your life, happiness, and well-being. Those suffering from depression may experience a wide range of symptoms, but commonly there is a sense of sadness and despair that seems to overshadow most of their experiences. The effects on sleep and eating can vary considerably, with some people frequently oversleeping or gaining weight, while others may experience insomnia and weight loss. Regardless of how the symptoms manifest themselves, however, depression often prevents people from living the kind of healthy lives they would prefer, sometimes becoming so severe that suicidal thoughts and actions can start to take hold.

For a comprehensive description of depression symptoms, please visit the National Institute of Mental Health's page on depression: NIMH Depression

How VR Therapy can help with Depression

As we start to work with you at VR Therapy, a therapist will take the time to learn about everything that may be contributing to your depression. As therapy progresses, we will help you determine if a combination of anti-depressant medication and therapy is the best course to take in your particular situation, as this often provides positive results with various forms of depression. The therapist will then most likely begin cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) with you in order to help you restructure and adjust the parts of your life that you discover are contributing to your depression.

If it is found that your depression is being significantly influenced by another disorder, such as an anxiety disorder, our virtual reality system may be used as part of our cognitive-behavioral approach to your challenges. However, VR Therapy is also monitoring promising new treatments for depression that involve using virtual reality to help individuals adjust their self-perception and self-care habits, which has been shown to help alleviate some forms of depression. In these studies, VR was used to allow individuals to view the actions and behaviors of themselves and others from varying perspectives in virtual reality, which would have otherwise been nearly impossible to achieve. As the evidence continues to grow, we will adopt approaches that are proven to provide the best results in treating depression and other mood disorders.